December 10, 2017, 4:18:24 pm - Sapa, Vietnam

I could write several paragraphs about the ethics of this picture and ones like it. The young Hmong girl works for her family selling souvenirs in the tourist town of Sapa. The baby she's carrying, a sibling I assume, is for affects. I bought a trinket for the purpose of capturing her portrait, essentially buying the photo, a practice I rarely do out of principle. I stop short of simply giving money, especially when asked. I believe this is a powerful image when accompanied by the story. Too often, photographers take advantage of ethnic cultures by capturing photos at any cost. Also, there are those who manipulate scenes for affects without telling the viewers and making it look like a spontaneous candid.